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Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass. Pours a dark mahogany with a one inch light tan head, that leaves behind excellent lace. Smell is more cherry than chocolate, with vanilla blended in with the others. Taste is chocolate to start, then the cherry and vanilla comes in at the finish. Body is medium, nice amount of carbonation, not dry, and very drinkable. This is a nice beer and a bit different. Don't drink it to cold, the flavors really blend well as it warms.

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with appealing holiday label art and standard branded pry-off pressure cap acquired as part of a Sam Adams variety 12-pack box at me local HEB grocery and served into an Avery stem-tulip in me gaff in low altitude Austin, Texas. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; it's a great premise for a beer.

Served cold - straight from me fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: No bubble show forms as it's poured.

Pours a half finger wide head of nice tan colour. Good creaminess and thickness. Retention is average - about two minutes. No lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.

Body colour is a predictable opaquesolid dark black. No yeast particles are visible.

Sm: Artificial tart cherry syrup. Chocolate malts. Dark malts. Heavy candied fruit character. Admittedly, there're some medicinal cough syrup notes here, but they don't bother me as much as they do in other beers. I'm not picking up any caramel or roasted barley, unfortunately. The chocolate notes aren't real evocative or real, but they're not artificial either. Certainly on the sweet side.

No yeast character, hop character, or alcohol is detectable.

I'm wary of the medicinal character, but optimistic.

T: It delivers cherry and chocolate notes, which is nice, but both are a bit lacking - they're somewhat artificial. The medicinal character does surface, but it's tolerable. Chocolate malts and dark malts comprise the foundation. No roasted barley, to its detriment. Quite sweet, but not cloying. There's a lot I like about the candied tart cherry fruit notes here, and a lot I'm iffy about. Not finding any actual cocoa nib notes - just extract-y faux-chocolate.

This is a Sam Adams variety box beer, so obviously the complexity and subtlety aren't what you'd expect from a world class beer. There's little nuance or intricacy, but the beer does deliver on its premise, and the premise is a great one. Okay balance and decent cohesion. It's not a gestalt build, but there's a clear focus and direction here.

No yeast character or hop character comes through. There is some faint alcohol.

Dr: I like what they're going for, and it's a good value offering for what it is. At the end of the day, it's an above average beer though it does have some flaws (the medicinal cough syrupy character being numero uno). I wouldn't mind seeing this in next year's holiday variety box, but it's far from Sam Adams' best seasonal. Drinkable and enjoyable for what it is. I'll kill this happily.

Would pair well with junior mints.

I'd be curious what would happen to this with a year or two on it. It'd probably fall apart, but there might be some flavour development.

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle with an expiration date of April 2014. Sampled on November 15, 2013.

The pour is ruby red to dark brown but not quite black. The beige head simmers down momentarily.

The aroma is more cherry forward than chocolate forward but it is a vibrantly sweet cherry character. It's like my favorite ice cream fudge sundae minus the nuts frankly.

The body is medium to heavy with a keen creamy quality to it.

While the aroma tends to favor the cherry, the taste tends to favor the chocolate but both flavors are there. Mild bitterness if that is the correct term. But it has a slight lingering quality at the end. Very nice.

S - Sweet cherries up front. At first it was an artificial jolly-rancher type of cherry aroma but after awhile I was getting more maraschino cherry aroma. Chocolate and cocoa are also strong and fairly sweet. In the back some caramel notes but predominantly it's the cherries and chocolate.

D - Kind of a one note beer to me, and one that you need to be in the mood for. Fortunately, I enjoy Cordials from time to time during the winter and could easily find two times to be in the mood to drink this. Not something I'd want a six pack of but I like it as something different in the Winter 12 pack.

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours the color of cola with brown hues; small off-white that fades and doesn't leave much lacing or retention. The aromas are full of maraschino cherries. It might come off as artificial to some, but it's pleasant nonetheless. There are also hints of almond and vanilla along with cocoa malts. Smells very good. The flavors are pretty roasty with a subtle sweetness. Very subtle hints of coffee in the beginning. The cherries come through in the flavors. More chocolate. Mouthfeel is light with moderate carbonation. Alcohol goes unnoticed.

This is a nice beer. It's exactly what you would expect from a cherry-chocolate bock. It's not something I'd want to drink a ton of, but one bottle in a sitting is enjoyable. I like it though and is a fitting beer for the holidays.

Sampled on 11/10/13. Chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured into a snifter glass.

Pours a dark reddish brown with a very small tan head. Some spotty lacing was seen. Perfect carbonation actually. The aroma of a chocolate covered cherry hits you right in the nose at first. Very nice of course. The taste of cocoa powder and slightly artificial cherry taste, almost like a Hall's cough drop. Still wasn't bad at all. Medium-bodied with perfect carbonation.

The chocolate comes through more to try to match the candy cherry note. Influenced by phenols that feature more dark fruit flavors. There's a bit of plum and raisin here now. Bock-like maltiness reassures itself with some darker caramel malt flavors and roastiness. It's richer than the nose would let on. Not tinny.

Unfortunately, it's really short on the carbonation. The body is semi-milky, but it feels almost syrupy without enough effervescence. Needs a crisper edge. It's falling all over itself in the mouth. Too much wetness without the feel of texture or sustenance.

Not nearly as good as Chocolate Bock. I guess I miss that one this year after having this one. It's still a holiday bock, and it just barely works. For a bock, it's got character. I'll give it that.

A - Pours a semi-opaque dark brown with ruby highlights around the edges. Perfectly even two-finger creamy head of brown foam of tiny bubbles. Not much lacing.

S - Really strong aroma of maraschino cherries! Also getting some chocolate, making this smell a lot like chocolate covered cherry candy. Definitely not much else going on, but the aroma that is here is exceptionally good.

T - Sadly not quite as good as the smell. Both chocolate and cherries are there, but the taste is slightly artificial. Chocolate is closer to cocoa powder, and the cherries kind of taste like cherry Halls. Base beer contributes just enough bitterness. A nice idea overall, but just a tad off in execution.

M - Thin bodied, with moderate carbonation. Could use either more body or more carbonation. Kind of just sits there on the tongue.

O - Not bad by any means, but slightly disappointing. I found myself wishing this was a chocolate cherry stout. I think if it was a stout instead of a bock, allowing the chocolate flavors to be more natural, this could be a hit.